Panathinaikos target Léo

Grêmio’s promising central defender, Léo, could be heading to Greece and Panathinaikos in the next few days.

The 20-year-old made his debut for the Porto Alegre side in July 2007 but really came to the fore this year and even earned a call-up by Brazil. Léo has the pace and build to deal with most opposition strikers but still has to learn to curb a tendency to swing his elbow (about 1:07 into the VT) that helped get him sent off three times in this season’s Brasileiro.

Grêmio have already received a formal bid from the Athens based club. The deal may include ex Flamengo forward, Souza, or former Corinthians midfielder, Marcelo Mattos, moving the opposite way.

Léo is just one of a number of Brazilian defenders that could be heading for Europe. Thiago Silva recently left Fluminense for AC Milan and now São Paulo’s outstanding centreback, Miranda, is apparently attracting interest from Lazio.